A Child's Toy
by Surely Sherlocked
Summary: While Erik is out, Christine finds something. When he comes home, he discovers that he has lost something. This happens during Christine's stay in Erik's underground home. It's kinda fluffy I suppose. Flames, criticism, and compliments are all welcome  :
1. Lonely

A/N: I am back. After around a year of reading stories, I have been inspired and decided to write a story of my own. I must admit that I am a better critic than an actual writer, so I apologize before hand if this story is inadequate or unsatisfying. It's also very fluffy and short FYI. The inspiration bug bit me quite hard, and I was itching to get this story out of my head. It's actually more in a planning format, but I felt that it was ready enough to share online. I may choose to elaborate the story in the future, or I may not. We'll see.

Please feel free to flame, criticize, or compliment! All kinds of reviews and responses are welcomed (:

And no, I don't own The Phantom of the Opera. The characters belong to M. Gaston Leroux and Erik's best buddy belongs to ALW.

February 22, 2011

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A Child's Toy

Chapter One

Erik was not home today, and the house was dreadfully lonely without his presence. Christine reclined on the couch with a book clutched in her small hands.

Boredom niggled at her mind. There was simply nothing to do other than to sit and read until he came home… unless she could find something interesting to occupy her time.

Her bare feet made no sound as she glided through the lonely rooms. As she explored the house, Christine's wanderings brought her before a door that she had never noticed before.

The door was unlocked. 'If Erik wanted me to stay out of this room, he certainly would have locked it. I am sure that he knows how curious I am!' she thought. Christine pressed her hands against the door, and with a slight push, the door gave way.

Christine found herself in a very empty room in the very empty house. The walls and floor were made of cold grey stone and a single mattress lay bare in the far corner of the room.

With a start, Christine realized that this was Erik's room. She had always imagined that he would live extravagantly, with intricately decorated walls and a large luxuriant bed fit for a king.

She certainly did not expect for her Angel to be living such a minimalist lifestyle.

As she sat down upon the mattress to think and wonder about this mysterious and lonely man, she suddenly jumped back up. From her seat, Christine gently picked up an old and worn toy. The fabric was torn and stained with age, and the seams holding it together were becoming quite loose. Its glossy button eyes gleamed at her as they hung from its sockets by threads.

Christine smiled.

Erik was exhausted. Having Christine in his home was truly an event for him to rejoice, and so he made very sure that he would enjoy every second of her presence.

The managers have not been very cooperative as of late, and tried to recast Carlotta as the lead. No thank you, Erik did not with for such a thing to happen, and unhappy as he was to leave Christine for even a moment, he ventured up by himself to deal with some business.

He made sure that Carlotta would not be singing anytime soon, and that the managers would not be bothering him for a while.

He had not slept for days and Erik found that if he wanted to truly enjoy having Christine in his home, ne required a short nap.

His eyelids felt extremely heavy.

Christine was not seen on the couch where he had left her, so he assumed that she had gone to sleep also. It was quite late in the evening. Erik drug himself into his room and immediately felt that there was something wrong.

Something was missing.


	2. Comfort and Sleep

A/N: While typing this up, I realized that both chapters sound a little monotone. We happen to be reading The Stranger by Albert Camus. I suppose Meursault is rubbing off on me xD

Disclaimer: No, I don't own The Phantom of the Opera. It belongs to M. Gaston Leroux, and Daimmen belongs to ALW.

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A Child's Toy

Chapter two

It was a fearful cry that brought Christine from her peaceful slumber. She had realized that she had fallen asleep while working on her project, and missed Erik's much anticipated homecoming.

Fearing that he may be hurt, Christine rose from her seat and rushed to find him. Upon discovering the main rooms empty, she decided that Erik must be in his chambers. Just as she had done earlier in the day, Christine gently pushed open the door and entered the nearly bare room.

She found him rocking himself in the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest. His hands were tightly fisted in his hair; the knuckles jutted white as they shook with the power of his grip. Silent tears streamed down his face and Christine could not contain herself any longer.

She rushed to Erik, but the terror from the nightmare was still fresh in his mind. At that moment, he could not recognize her. He pressed himself desperately against the wall and allowed a slight whimper to escape from his throat.

"Oh Erik… It is me, Christine! Shhh, you are safe here, I won't hurt you, you see?"

She tentatively held out a hand to him. He did not take it so she gently grasped his arm, ignoring the resulting flinch.

"Come with me Erik dear, I believe that I have a surprise for you."

The two of them quietly made their way back to Christine's room. She held Erik's hand tightly, fearing that he would suddenly bolt and run back to the confines of his room.

As they walked, she whispered to him soft words of comfort and encouragement, and was able to coax him to sit upon her bed. When she made sure that Erik was as comfortable as he could be, Christine stepped towards the vanity table where she had been working earlier.

Feeling Erik's eyes on her back, she turned around and presented him with a cleaned and mended stuffed monkey.

He broke the silence and gave a cry of surprise.

"Daimmen! I thought that I'd lost you. Thank you Christine!"

Erik snatched Daimmen from her hands and cradled the toy tightly to his chest.

Christine took the both of them into her arms and smiled at how a grown man such as the Opera Ghost would cling so strongly to a child's toy.

However, she understood.

His nightshirt was thin, and she could feel the long raised scars through the fabric; there were so many of them.

She knew that Erik had never been a child. He was forced to live as an animal and beast for so long that he never had a chance to. Daimmen was the first, only, and last childish act that was allowed to him.

Christine sang to him quietly as she rubbed his back. As her song ended, she found that he had fallen asleep.

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Epilogue:

For the first time in his entire life Erik was a child, sleeping safely under loving watchful eyes, and finding comfort in the arms of a very old friend. Just for once, dreams melted into a temporary reality and his nightmares faded to become only distant memories.

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A/N: Daimmen is a French boys' name, meaning: a saint who takes care of children.


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